by Sylvia McNicoll. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2004.
Elizabeth Kerr, a fifteen year old girl who has just entered high school, is raising her second guide dog. She meets Kyle Nicholson, a sixteen year old who is petrified of dogs and has just lost his sight.
I have a couple major problems with this book.
First, the continuity is all bucked up. Kyle enters school the second week of the schoolyear and has an Orientation and Mobility lesson the Friday night of that week. Yet, Liz sees him at the mall with his instructor on what is supposed to be the first Friday of the schoolyear.
The second major problem I have with this book can be summed up in the line "That guy deserved to be stuck with a white cane the rest of his life."
While guide dogs are great assets for many blind people, they aren't for everyone. As I have stated a couple times on this blog, I prefer being a cane user. A guide dog is not for everyone, and this group includes myself.
Also, what is this magical world where OandM instructors work Friday night and there's always one available when needed? In reality, the CNIB's staff is spread so thin those types of people can barely see clients every two weeks.
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